MANDU Tourism, MANDU Travel Guide, Madhya Pradesh Tourism

About Mandu - Madhya Pradesh Tourism

Mandu is a famous tourist destination in Madhya Pradesh famous for forts, palaces and architectural masterpieces. The ruined city of Mandu is located at a distance of about 90 km from Indore, business capital of Madhya Pradesh. Popularly known as Mandu among travellers, the town is located amidst the Vindhya Ranges, at an elevation of 2000 feet above the sea level. The city of Mandu, which was once called a city of joy, is now a ruined city in the Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh.

Mandu is known among tourists for its fine Islamic architectural buildings and monuments. Mandu is famous among travellers for its amazing Fort, which is 82 km in perimeter and is considered to be the biggest in India. Mandu fort contains the ruins of palaces, ornamented canals, baths, pavilions etc. The fort was once the monsoons retreat of the Mughal emperors.

The magic of Mandu lives on in its palaces, mosques, and in its ballads. Travellers will find over 40 monuments in Mandu to tour, which are divided into three broad categories: the Central Village Group, the Royal Enclave Group, and the Rewa Kund Group. The mystical beauty of the monuments, amidst the sprawling lush green landscape and the purple sunset sky, paints the live picture of the bygone era for travellers. The effect is completed by the rich surroundings of mango, tamarind and banyan trees. Mandu is also famous for its 'Khusrani Imli', tamarind trees which bear fruit only in the rainy season and juicy custard apples.

Mandu was originally founded in 11th century by the Parmar rulers, who made it their fort capital. Later, Mandu was conquered by the Delhi Sultans, who renamed it as Shadiabad, meaning the "City of Joy". Under Mughal rule, Mandu was a pleasure resort, with its lakes and palaces as the scenes of splendid and extravagant festivities.

Mandu - Tourist Attractions

Mandu History - Mandu Tourism

Mandu was founded as a fortress retreat in the 10th century by Raja Bhoj and conquered by the Muslim rulers of Delhi in 1304. The Afghan Dilawar Khan, governor of Malwa, set up his own little kingdom in Mandu.

Dilawar Khan's son, Hoshang Shah, shifted the capital from Dhar to Mandu and raised it to its greatest splendour. Hoshang’s son Mohammed ruled for just one year before being poisoned by the militaristic Mohammed Khalji, who then ruled for 33 years.

In 1526, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat conquered Mandu, only to be ousted in 1534 by the Mughal Humayun, who in turn lost the kingdom to Mallu Khan, an officer of the Khalji dynasty. Ten more years of feuds and invasions saw Baz Bahadur eventually emerge in the top spot, but in 1561 he fled Mandu rather than face Akbar’s advancing troops.

After Akbar added Mandu to the Mughal empire, it kept a considerable degree of independence, until taken by the Marathas in 1732. The capital of Malwa was then shifted back to Dhar, and the slide in Mandu’s fortunes that had begun with the absconding of Baz Bahadur became a plummet.